San Francisco Opera invites you and your family to attend FREE screenings of our Opera-in-an-Hour Movies presented throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn about where you can catch a screening of our family friendly operas, click here.

San Francisco Opera will present Verdi’s Attila this June starring superstar bass Ferruccio Furlanetto. Co-produced with Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and directed by Gabriele Lavia, the new production is unusual and distinctive because it is set in three different periods of Italy’s history: ancient Rome circa 450 AD; the Viennese occupation of the early 1800’s; and the present day. Our Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducted the production in Milan and will conduct it here in June. He has this to say about the production:

My job at San Francisco Opera as video director is to work with the production team, the artists and the media team to direct the capture of each opera for television and theatrical distribution. I have been directing at the opera for 5 years. Rigoletto was my first plazacast to the civic center and it was very well received. David Gockley had the idea of building an HD suite on the 5th floor of the opera house and I was fortunate to be hired as the resident video director. I have directed all of the AT&T Ballpark simulcasts and over 25 operas for OperaVision, television and theatrical distribution. Over the last five years, two other directors--Christine Strand and Bob Harnett—have also directed some of the operas.

It's hard to believe how much has been going on this fall. All within the first three weeks of the season we managed to get three operas up and running (Turandot, Heart of a Soldier and Lucrezia Borgia); put on two fabulous galas--Opera Ball 2011: A Night in the Forbidden City and Bravo! Club Opening Night Gala; present the world premiere of a brand new opera; hold the City of San Francisco's official observance of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks through a moving concert in Golden Gate Park; host Opera at the Ballpark at AT&T Park for the first time in daylight; and meanwhile launch our second series of television screenings on KQED 9. We are proud to be such an integral part of San Francisco's community and look forward to the rest of the 2011 fall season!

One of our favorite events of every season, this year's Webcor Builders Presents Opera at the Ballpark brought together a diverse crowd of people from all over the Bay Area to enjoy opera al fresco! Especially fun this year were the many family activities inspired by Turandot available for children. Enjoy this selection of photos from this year's event and re-live the fun!

Webcor Builders Presents Opera at the Ballpark is an exciting and exhilarating event. It’s quite an experience to enjoy free opera “al fresco” with thousands of fans. For the simulcast attendee, the entire experience lasts a few hours. As a Marketing Associate for San Francisco Opera, my involvement in this event takes a bit more time than that. Ok, a lot more time than that. Ever wonder what it’s like to be one of the many people involved in putting on an event such as Opera at the Ballpark? Below is a timeline of what it’s like to work the event as a member of the marketing team.

Introduction

Backstage at San Francisco Opera is a fascinating, fast-moving, mysterious and sacred space for the Company’s singers, musicians, dancers, technicians and production crews. Musical and staging rehearsals are on-going, scenery is loaded in and taken out, lighting cues are set, costumes and wigs are moved around and everything is made ready to receive the audience. From the principal singers, chorus and orchestra musicians to the creative teams for each opera, in addition to the many talented folks who don’t take a bow on stage, this blog offers unique insight, both thought-provoking and light-hearted, into the life backstage at San Francisco Opera.